Product tracking is of importance to any manufacturing, distribution, or sales enterprise. It can be particularly important in the pharmaceutical area, where many products must be carefully identified and tracked from manufacture until administered to a patient. Typical known means of tracking pharmaceuticals involve manual record keeping and identifying products according to written labels. Inventory management and distribution also typically rely on a manual process of taking a physical inventory of product and manually ordering refills or restocking, while also eliminating product that is nearing or passed its expiry.
Another significant issue with pharmaceuticals is the high cost of maintaining an inventory of expensive drugs. Some drugs can cost several thousand dollars per dose, and be relatively rarely needed, but these same drugs, when needed, are needed immediately. Pre-purchasing and stocking such drugs is a great expense for pharmacies and hospitals. Further, because of the high cost of these drugs, managing and tracking each product becomes essential.